Dear Reader,
As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before.
Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications,
like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations,
we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open
and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news
and analyses from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.

The Knesset’s Internal Affairs and Environment Committee began on Tuesday to
prepare a bill that would curb soil pollution and rehabilitate contaminated
lands for its second and third (final) readings.

The bill under
discussion was proposed by Environmental Protection Ministry staff following
their review of a private bill drafted by Adam Teva V’Din – The Israel Union for
Environmental Defense.

Calling for the comprehensive treatment of the
nationwide phenomenon of contaminated land, the bill likewise aims to prevent
water contamination and reduce the exposure of citizens to public health
hazards, as well as increase the availability of land for development in central
Israel, according to Adam Teva V’Din.

Attending Tuesday’s discussion were
both Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan and the director-general of
the ministry, Alona Sheffer- Karo.

Many mistakes were made in the past
during construction, which have led to soil contamination that puts public
health at risk and demands a high environmental price, according to Erdan. The
minister also stressed that while many developers are willing to pay for
cleaning up polluted land in the Tel Aviv area due to high residential demand,
much of the periphery’s potential open space remains
contaminated.

According to economic estimates, however, every shekel
invested in cleaning up such land will reap a profit of about NIS 14, Erdan
added.

Meanwhile, Dr. Yael Mason, head of the ministry’s Polluted Lands
department, explained to the committee that the bill would require the cleaning
of polluted soil and also provide for a fund aimed at rehabilitating such
land.

JPOST VIDEOS THAT MIGHT INTEREST YOU:

Much of the contaminated soil has become this way due to pollution
from places like industrial sites, gas stations and military bases – some of
which are still infecting the local land and water, the organization said. The
bill under discussion would require the registration of contaminated lands
nationwide, make sure potential land developers are aware of contamination spots
and would reduce further pollution of these lands after cleaning by requiring
periodic checks of pollution levels.

“The bill would allow for the
comprehensive treatment of contaminated soil in the country, will release
thousands of dunams [of land] for building affordable housing, prevent the
exposure of the public to health dangers and contribution to the improvement of
drinking water quality,” said Adam Teva V’Din’s executive director, Amit
Bracha.

In addition to the bill’s current measures, Adam Teva V’Din has
also sent a position paper to the Internal Affairs and Environment Committee
recommending a few other clauses, such as delegating land and
water-rehabilitation monitoring to one official body under the auspices of the
Environmental Protection Ministry, obligating the state to clear contaminated
lands under its ownership in a timely and comprehensive fashion and creating
detailed maps and a plan for cleaning the contaminated soil before granting
approval.

Also during Tuesday’s meeting, Sheffer-Karo pledged that the
Environmental Protection Ministry would be active in promoting the bill, and
would work under the guidance of the committee to formulate a final draft of the
proposal that would solve the problems of soil contamination without harming the
economy.

The Jerusalem Post Customer Service Center can be contacted with any questions or requests:
Telephone: *2421 * Extension 4 Jerusalem Post or 03-7619056 Fax: 03-5613699E-mail: subs@jpost.com
The center is staffed and provides answers on Sundays through Thursdays between 07:00 and 14:00 and Fridays only handles distribution requests between 7:00 and
13:00
For international customers: The center is staffed and provides answers on Sundays through Thursdays between 7AM and 6PM
Toll Free number in Israel only 1-800-574-574
Telephone +972-3-761-9056
Fax: 972-3-561-3699
E-mail: subs@jpost.com